Jay Shelledy, director of student media for Louisiana State University

Having spent nearly 30 years as the managing editor or the executive editor of newspapers ranging in circulation size from 10,000 to 150,000, I found that good journalists generally fell into one of two categories: outstanding writer/average reporter or outstanding reporter/average writer. Occasionally, there would be that rare gem: the great writer and great reporter rolled into one. Amy Brittain is well on her way to being one of those rarities. Smart, savvy, tenacious and fair in her newsgathering, she is at the same time accurate, concise, clear and no-nonsense in her writing. The combination puts her well above the pack on her experience level. .

Brian Goh, Goldwater scholar and friend

One series that comes to mind when discussing Amy’s tremendous abilities as a journalist came in the 2006-07 women’s basketball season. This was the Pokey Chatman series that detailed the abrupt resignation of the women’s basketball coach amid allegations of inappropriate behavior. At the time, the LSU campus was buzzing with the high hopes that the Lady Tigers would advance into the NCAA Tournament. Nothing could be more dramatic than the resignation of the coach of a third-seeded team about to enter the tournament. It was a time of frantic rumors and hazy information being tossed about the LSU campus. Amy, however, was calm and collected, determined to accurately portray Chatman’s situation. Through countless late nights in the newsroom and several public records requests, Amy was able to write an accurate, compelling story that shed light on Chatman’s resignation and provided some insight as to how Lady Tigers would proceed into the biggest games without the guidance of their head coach.

As a result of her series, Chatman actually contacted Amy several months after her resignation to ask Amy if she would write a story describing Chatman’s side of the story. Chatman praised Amy for her professionalism and respect in the previous articles and hoped that Amy would be able to convey her story in a candid, meaningful way yet again.

Craig Freeman, professor at Louisiana State University's Department of Communications

Ms. Brittain’s heroes are the journalists who covered the Barry Bonds steroids scandal. She followed the news closely and tried to reverse-engineer the stories to figure out how they broke the story. Her attention to detail in the coverage of Bonds led directly to her outstanding coverage of LSU sports.

Arman Sheybani, friend

Amy has accomplished so much in only three years, including winning the Freedom Forum/NCAA collegiate journalism scholarship and three Hearst Awards. She won also a sports writing competition from the Society of Professional Journalists National Mark of Excellence. She also was an Investigative Reporters and Editors National Finalist for Student Work, an intern at the International Center for Journalists, Christian Science Monitor and will intern this summer at the Arizona Republic through the Pulliam Fellowship.

Source | The Daily Reveille
"Hurt. Shocked. Angry. Disappointed. Bewildered. Bombarded. Scared. Sad. Lost. Unknown. No Answer." It's a list of emotions Pokey Chatman stoically conveys when asked to describe her feelings about March 7, the day she announced her resignation as LSU women's basketball coach amid allegations of inappropriate conduct with one or more former players.

Source | The Daily Reveille
109 percent. It's the survival odds former LSU soccer goalkeeper Robyn DesOrmeaux gave herself when faced with a 10 percent chance of surviving five years.

Source | The Daily Reveille
He kicks off his basketball sneakers, props up his feet and reclines in an oversized leather chair.

Source | The Daily Reveille
The answering service calls at 3:17 a.m. each day to awaken 73-year-old Dr. Bob Rivet in his Lafayette home.